Which to use
“ato” is a noun and “atroz” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,326
- “ato” frequency rank
- #48,778
- “atroz” frequency rank
- 50104
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ato | atroz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | processo de fazer algo; manifestação real e tangível | que não tem piedade, ímpeto; bárbaro; cruel |
Where the eye mixes ato and atroz
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. ato runs 3 letters (VCV) against atroz's 5 (VCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between ato and atroz
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ato is /ˈato/ ou /ˈatu/_(plural:) /ˈatos/, /ˈatus/ ou /ˈatuʃ/ while atroz is /ɐ.ˈtɾɔʃ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50104, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ato is recorded at frequency rank #1,326, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈato/ ou /ˈatu/_(plural:) /ˈatos/, /ˈatus/ ou /ˈatuʃ/. atroz is at rank #48,778, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɐ.ˈtɾɔʃ/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 50104, this pair ranks #14,873 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ato vs atroz
Shared letters: aot. Private to "ato": -. Private to "atroz": rz.
"ato" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "atroz" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- atroz ← artoz · atorz · atrozz · atrroz · atrzo · attroz · taroz
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ato" and "atroz" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "ato" vs "atroz" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ato" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "atroz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #14,873 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ato" and "atroz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "antro vs atroz". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #14,873 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.